


4: Don't you dare close your eyes

by softgrungeprophet



Series: Combo Prompts [2]
Category: Venom (Comics)
Genre: (consensual ofc), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bathing/Washing, Blushing, Comfort, Dysphoria, Established Relationship, Implied Sexual Content, Insecurity, Kissing, Maybe - Freeform, Mirrors, Multi, Neck Kissing, Other, Self-Esteem Issues, eddie's a little bit bossy, kinda? more like implied groping
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-13
Updated: 2019-03-13
Packaged: 2019-11-17 16:36:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18102326
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/softgrungeprophet/pseuds/softgrungeprophet
Summary: Flash has a bad day and Eddie offers comfort. (with the symbiote's help, of course)





	4: Don't you dare close your eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Prompts:   
> soaking, mirror sex--i ended up just doing mirrors in general and not the sex part lmfao  
> the third was .... uh dismemberment which i worked in as a single line of dialogue cause i couldn't think of a way to incorporate that as a non-gory thing LOL idk why i chose the goretober list as one of my prompt sources?!
> 
> i almost gave the symbiote a doll or barbie or something that it had ripped the arms off of at some point, though XD

Flash wheeled through the front door completely soaked, muddy, and scowling deeply.

Eddie frowned, setting his notebook aside, his own concern mixing with the symbiote's as he asked, "What happened?"

Flash didn't answer until slamming the door shut—turned around once it was locked and growled, "Fucking asshole drive-by splashed me with his fucking truck." Flash headed straight for the hallway, and Eddie finally stood to follow.

"What?" Eddie padded after Flash, into their bedroom, to the sound of Flash banging the dresser drawers open in search for new clothes. "What did he look like?" A bit of black crept up Eddie's arms and neck, though he kept his anger at this stranger in check. Mostly. " ** _We'll tear his arms off—_** "

Flash paused, a soft shirt in one hand. A duck of the head, a quiet laugh—Eddie relaxed, slightly, as Flash murmured, "It's okay, Eddie." Flash looked at them over one shoulder. "You guys can't just dismember some guy for being a dick, anyway. You're retired, right?"

They let out a low growl, but conceded. "... ** _Yes_**."

"So," Flash tossed the clean clothes into the master bathroom from beside the dresser. "I'll be fine."

Even though muddy water dripped from Flash's hair... staining that pretty cream floral blouse they both liked so much...

Eddie caught Flash's sigh, the slightly drooping shoulders, pulling at the pale fabric to assess the damage.

[ **Flash is sad...?** ]

The symbiote sank away into Eddie's skin. "Let us help you change."

Flash glanced at him before turning toward the bathroom. "I think I can handle myself."

Eddie frowned. "We know, but—" He followed Flash into the bathroom. "You've got that look."

"What look?" Flash made a scrunched up face to try hiding that disappointed expression, but Eddie and the symbiote could see right through it. "I don't have a look. I'm just dirty and tired—"

Eddie rolled his eyes.

"Fine." Flash picked at the buttons on the ruined blouse. "I've got a look. Whatever. I can still get changed by myself. I needed a shower, anyway."

Eddie shut the bathroom door behind him, clothes already melting away as he said, "Let's take a bath, Flash."

Not a question, not up for debate.

They weren't about to let Flash stew alone in bad feelings. They knew all too well how bad that felt.

"Ugh, fine."

Flash let them run the bath, undressing while Eddie tested the water temperature. Set the blouse forlornly in the sink to soak with a little bit of soap in hopes that maybe it wouldn't be entirely ruined.

They settled into the bath together and before anything else, Eddie began to rinse Flash's hair, just to get some of the grime out before actually washing it. And for good measure, they soaped Flash up as well, to scrub away some of that muddy water from Flash's skin.

"You don't have to..." Flash leaned back into Eddie's touch, though, despite that half-hearted protest.

"I want to." Eddie held his hand out, and the symbiote deposited Flash's shampoo bottle in his palm. He ran his fingers through Flash's hair, working up a nice lather, only slightly brown from mud, now. Flash sighed, a not-unpleasant sound, and the symbiote reached out in a gentle caress. Eddie smiled to himself.

[ **Feel better?** ]

Eddie repeated the question out loud for Flash to hear.

"Hmm..." Flash waited for Eddie to finish rinsing the shampoo out before answering, "A little."

"Only a little?" Eddie moved Flash's wet hair out of his way, to kiss Flash's neck. Flash shifted to give him better access, reaching up to stroke Eddie's buzzed hair. Eddie wrapped his arms around Flash, joined by the symbiote. Eddie kissed up, from neck to jaw, to cheek to temple, and back down to Flash's neck. Flash's free hand settled light on his arm, the other still brushing against Eddie's skull.

"Only a little."

A hickey might be a nice little gift...

Flash made a soft, encouraging noise.

The symbiote twined itself around Flash's waist and hips and thighs, squeezing its own gesture of comfort.

One wandering hand later, and a red mark sucked into Flash's neck, and Flash was breathing hard and radiating heat like nobody's business.

"You—" Flash leaned back into Eddie. "You forgot conditioner..."

Eddie laughed against Flash's neck.

But he pulled back—let Flash take a breather, and finished washing Flash's hair.

[ **Make it pretty, Eddie.** ]

Eddie raised his eyebrow. "While it's still wet?"

A disappointed mumble spread through his thoughts, but the symbiote didn't push it.

Flash twisted to look at them, hands on the symbiote's tendrils, roped around in an embrace. "What're you two talking about?"

Eddie combed his fingers through Flash's wet hair. "Making you pretty."

For a moment, Flash was silent. Then, just a quiet "Hm."

Eddie frowned.

[ **Still sad?** ]

"You don't feel pretty today?"

Flash shrugged, turning back away to avoid eye contact, back pressed up against Eddie's chest.  

Eddie frowned deeper, and the symbiote stirred with concern, tightening slightly around Flash's waist.

For a moment, neither spoke, just sitting in silence in the warm water. But Eddie couldn't let that stand—"I think you're pretty." The symbiote buzzed in his skull. "Both of us do."

"You say that _every_ day."

"That doesn’t mean it’s not true." Eddie pulled at Flash's shoulder, until Flash turned and Eddie could bundle Flash into a tight hug, leaning back against the wall of the bathtub. Just holding Flash in his arms. "We call you beautiful because you are the most beautiful person we know, because we love you."

Flash nestled into his embrace, quiet again... but blushing just a little bit.

"You trust us, don't you?"

Flash nodded.

"Can we show you all the things we think make you beautiful?"

Hesitation...

But Flash nodded again.

***

They had taken the hand mirror from its counter fixture, and now lay in bed, propped up against the pillows, with Flash leaned up against Eddie and the blankets pulled up to their waists, nice and cozy. The symbiote held the mirror, and adjusted the lamp on the nightstand as Flash settled more comfortably, head on Eddie's chest—after all, Flash needed to be able to see all the things they found so lovely.

Eddie kissed the top of Flash's head. Caught a glance in the mirror, and smirked. "Who's this I see? Aphrodite? The goddess of beauty, and love?" He kissed Flash's temple, and cheek, somewhat awkwardly—a bit of a hard angle to get.

Flash snorted, and shoved at Eddie's face—gently playful. "Dork."

"Please." Eddie kissed Flash's palm. "Am I not romantic?" He met Flash's eyes in the mirror again, though, lips pressed to Flash's slightly damp hair as he spoke. "Look at you..."

A touch of pink rose to Flash's face.

"See?" Eddie lifted his hands to either side of Flash's face, brushing some stray hairs out of the way, tucked away behind Flash's ears. "Pink and pretty." He framed Flash's face between his hands, and Flash's own hands came up to lightly brush Eddie's wrists.

The symbiote held the mirror firmly, at just the right angle, and Eddie watched Flash's growing blush as he named just a couple of things he found so appealing about Flash—

"Look at these long eyelashes, and those pretty eyes." Eddie brushed a fingertip across Flash's eyelid, making Flash blink awkwardly—Flash made a scrunched up face, nose crinkling, and Eddie poked that, too. "And your cute nose." Eddie's hand drifted a little lower, and he pressed his fingertip against Flash's lower lip. "Such pretty pink lips..."

Flash kissed Eddie's finger, no longer holding eye contact, but gaze still affixed on their reflection, and the way Eddie's fingers traced over skin.

"If you could see..." Eddie shifted, sitting up slightly, and kissed Flash's ear, voice lowering into a murmur. "The way you look when we have you at our mercy."

Flash flushed deeper, at that. " _Mercy_?"

"Mm-hm..." Eddie caught Flash's earlobe between his teeth, just for a moment—a long enough moment to make Flash's breath hitch, though. Then back to kissing. "So pretty."

Shifting against Eddie, twining their fingers together, Flash muttered, "You could show me."

[ **Could show so easily.** ]

So, so easily.

Eddie hummed a bar ( _shining, shimmering, splendid_ )—Flash laughed.

"Don't hum _Aladdin_ at me; that's not sexy." Flash grinned.

Eddie grinned right back. "But it made you smile." He squeezed Flash's hand, joined by the symbiote between their fingers. "We love your smile, and your dimples."

Flash looked away from the mirror entirely, blushing furiously... but still beaming. "You're sappy."

"What can I say?" Eddie pulled one hand free to give Flash a nudge—back into the mirror, meeting each other's eyes. Eddie raised his eyebrows. "I'm a romantic at heart."

Flash scoffed, and pushed the mirror away to twist around, to push Eddie down against the pillows again, to rest against his chest, and hear his heart beating.

The symbiote set the mirror aside, and wrapped around them both in a firm embrace, not too tight.

Quietly, Flash mumbled, "Thanks."

[ **Not sad anymore..**.]

Eddie ran his hand through Flash's hair with a hum and a mental murmur of acknowledgment for his other.

**Author's Note:**

> i was about to say "i don't have experience with dysphoria," and then i was like, wait.  
> I do.  
> lmfao  
> anyway, is this dysphoria? i guess. feeling bad because you're not pretty enough sounds like it to me. tho in my head it's kind of the result of a long day and getting covered in mud, and being grumpy, but it might have to do with some unspoken things as well. 
> 
> sometimes, instead of saying, "it doesn't matter if you're not pretty" or "beauty is a social construct" (everything is), it's more important to say, "i think you're pretty, and i love you, and here are the things i like about your face."
> 
> set sometime [after they're already married](https://archiveofourown.org/works/17709980) probably.
> 
> the floral I'm imagining for flash's ruined shirt is something like this I guess? a nice calico... tho idk I was kinda thinking something with some larger flowers. idk. cream and muted colors pink and blue-green and stuff.
> 
> there MUST be such a thing as a non-permanent, clamp-on mount you can stick a normal handheld mirror into, but for the life of me I cannot find any fuckin results...
> 
> tfw you think your spouse/wife is so beautiful and sexy but sometimes they don't feel beautiful or sexy.
> 
>  
> 
> obvs eddie's a little controlling in parts of this but he's trying to keep flash from doing the whole ~grumpy isolation~ thing, which he _also_ does, as opposed to doing it for the sake of control itself


End file.
